Aria's POV
Alex and I sat on the couch with Lydia and Schneider, while Penelope helped Elena try on her tiara for her upcoming quinces.
Alex and I were arguing about who was better, Iron Man or Captain America. Obviously, I said Iron Man. Who doesn't love Robert Downey Jr?
But Chris Evans is America's ass and I'd literally do anything in the world for him, so it was hard to choose.
"Listen up, grunts." Penelope yelled, getting our attention, "In 55 minutes, we have the final venue walkthrough. And you hear that rumble? Oh, yeah. That's the sound of 183 Cubans arriving in Los Angeles. Seventeen of whom will be staying in this room."
"Er... Fire code-wise, I don't think that's gonna—" Schneider started
"Shut it!" Penelope yelled
We all looked ahead awkwardly, avoiding the stare of the angry Cuban woman.
"I am going on no sleep and five Cuban coffees. Do you really want to mess with me right now?" She questioned, getting in his face
"No, ma'am." He replied, nervously sinking deeper into the couch
"As head of transpo you have one job. Get the Cubans to and from the airport. I hope you brushed up on your Spanish." Penelope said
"Claro que sí." He said
She spoke more advance Spanish, and Schneider seemed completely lost, "Claro que sí."
"I want it on the record that your tone is very annoying." Lydia spoke up, interrupting her daughter's rampage
"Okay. You're kidding me, right? The day of my quinces, you screamed at Tía Mirtha because she brought hot pink balloons instead of fuchsia." Penelope argued
"Fuchsia is a royal color! Hot pink is what a girl wears on a spring break, before flashing her tetas." Lydia said
Alex turned to me when they started arguing, "Are you going to do that Spring break thing?"
I punched him hard in the arm, "Don't be such a perv."
Penelope turned to Alex, "Oye, why aren't you filming this?"
"You want me to film you two arguing? I have hours of that. In here." He said, pointing to his head
"Elena, your dress is in the closet. If you should happen to find a straight jacket there, please bring it out here, for your crazy Mami." Lydia joked
Alex and I followed Elena to video tape her looking at her dress, while the parents stayed in the living room to argue more about absolute nonsense.
A few minutes later, Elena had gotten into her dress and we followed her to the living room where Lydia and Penelope cheered in excitement.
"Thank you so much, Abuelita. It's beautiful." Elena smiled
"What's wrong with it?" Lydia asked, despite the teen girl's smile
"Nothing. I'm happy, I'm smiling." Elena insisted
"Exactly. You are not sobbing with joy. I have failed you. I have failed my family. I have failed Cuba." Lydia declared dramatically.
"And I thought you were dramatic." I whispered to Alex, who flared in response
_______
The whole family, plus Schneider and I, joined everyone for the final run through of the venue. Alex and I trailed behind the rest of the group
"Everything is all set for tomorrow. And I just want to say, you have chosen the perfect ballroom." The venue lady said
We walked around admiring the ballroom as Penelope and Lydia talked to Dr. B, who had randomly showed up
"Excuse me. Where is the dance floor?" Lydia asked suddenly
"Um, you're standing on it." The lady said
"Are you kidding me? I have relative who escaped from Cuba on a raft bigger than this." Lydia complained
"Let me translate, she's wants a bigger dance floor." Penelope sighed
"Give the lady a bigger floor." Victor joked, walking into the venue
"Papi!" Alex cheered, rushing to hug him.
"Need me to beat him up?" I asked Penelope, quietly
She laughed, patting my shoulder gently, "No, I think we'll be okay."
We all went to help Penelope sneak in the booze they bought from Costco, while Victor and Elena practiced their dance.
___________
Later that night, when all the Cubans were gathered in the living room, Alex and I began recording everyone for future memories.
We saw Penelope yelling at someone so we ran to get her.
"Mami, a word?" Alex asked
"When was the last time you slept?" I asked, pausing my current recording
"Two days ago. Yeah, but don't worry. I take little power naps when I pee." She explained
"Maybe you should lie down." Alex suggested
"Maybe you should lie down." She mocked
"What's happening?" I asked
"Sorry. There's just a lot to do. And people say they want to help and friggin Tina's over there doing her own thing, like she always does. Keep your eye on her." Penelope said walking away to join the large family, again
Alex sighed and dragged me to watch the rest of his family members.
The next morning, Schneider and I walked over to the Alvarez apartment to pick up Penelope for the quinces.
Schneider was dressed in a nice suit and was not wearing his glasses. I opted for a light blue dress with the gold necklace my parents had gotten me, which I layered with a couple more, and my white converse.
"Open up, it's Schneider." Schneider said knocking
"And Aria." I added with a small laugh
Penelope opened the door and stared at us, still dressed in her pajamas
"I got one last pickup. You." He said, pointing at the older woman
"What is going on? The Cubans are missing, my seating chart is gone, Aria looks like a grown woman, and I'm kind of attracted to you? Nothing makes sense." Penelope groaned
"Chill, girl." Schneider smirked
"Oh, That helps when you talk. Thank you." She sighed in relief
"We are here to take you to your daughter's quinces." I said, bringing the group back to our original plan, "Which you clearly aren't ready for...no offense."
"So, get in that bedroom and put on all your clothes. Whoa, I've never said that to a woman before." Schneider gasped
"Gross." I cringed, moving further into the apartment
"Don't mess with me, weirdly sexy Schneider. How did this happen? Who's in charge?" She asked
"It's handled, boo." Schneider insisted
I rolled my eyes before grabbing Penelope's hand and dragging her toward her room to help her get ready.
________
When we got there, I was ecstatic. Penelope looked gorgeous and the decorations that adorned the small ball room looked incredible.
"Now I'm in heaven." Penelope smiled, just as shocked as I was
"Immigrants. We get the job done." Alex smirked, making his presence known to the both of us
She quickly pulled him in for a hug, "I can't believe you pulled this all together. Look at the centerpieces! Have you seen your papi?"
"No. But I'm seeing too much of something." Alex said waving his hand at her dress top.
He walked away and I followed him, "Alex, this is incredible!"
"Thanks, and you look great." Alex complimented with a smile
I blushed, and smiled shyly, "You don't look too bad yourself."
A couple minutes later, Penelope came out with a microphone to speak.
"Hey, everybody. Hello?" She started, trying to get the attention of the room
"Hey, you guys!" Lydia shouted, finally stopping everyone from their side conversations
"Victor and I would like to thank you all for coming. And I'm probably gonna cry, so deal with it. August 7, 2001. The doctor said Elena was due August 15th, but you know her, she ain't letting no man tell her when she gonna get birthed. Elena has always been her own girl..and now she's becoming her own woman. When she was in third grade, she played the cherry tree in a school play. And when George Washington swung his ax, she hit him back and yelled "tree are people, too!" Penelope started, making everyone laugh
"And that's Elena. Always sticking up for the underdog. Wether it's a tree, an animal, a friend...or me. She's taught me more about being strong...selfless and true to yourself than I could have ever taught her. Okay, I can't hold it together anymore, so let's bring the court out here!" Penelope finished
We all cheered and clapped as they danced, raising my volume a bit more when Alex walked out. He winked at me and I blew him a kiss, laughing.
"And now, let's welcome the girl of the hour— Oh, I mean, woman of the hour...Elena Maria Alvarez Riera Calderón Leytevidal Inclan." Penelope cheered
We all cheered as Elena came out in her modified suit, with Josh. She looked beautiful, as always. They all danced and I smiled at how happy Elena looked in that moment.
After a couple songs, the court dispersed to their assigned tables. Alex took a spot by me as we awaited Elena's dance with their dad.
"All right, all right. Ladies and gentleman. Please, turn you attention to the dance floor for the father-daughter dance." The announcer said, making the audience cheer
Elena stood on the dance floor waiting for Victor. The music started, and she was still standing alone, with a hopeless look taking over her features.
She started tearing up, and I turned to look for Victor, but he wasn't there.
Penelope finally stood up from her spot, and went to the floor to dance with her daughter.
Alex follows his mother's steps and joined them on the dance floor, leaning in to hug Elena before Lydia got up and followed suit.
Schneider offered me his hand and we walked to the floor and joined their group dance. Elena is our family, wether we're related by blood or not, and family never leaves someone behind.
Even Dr. B got up to join before Elena spoke up, "I'm okay, you guys. Thank you both for making me have a quinces. I have to admit, this is pretty great."
"Oh, you are welcome, mija. I never tire of saying...I told you so." Lydia smirked, making us laugh.
"Eat it up, cause we're not doing this again until your wedding." Penelope joked
"Oh, I'm never getting married, so..." Elena admitted
"I can't hear you... the music is to loud." Penelope replied as faster music started to play, and her dance moves began to become a bit odd
We all laughed and joined her in dancing. Alex grabbed my hand and spun me around. I smiled and continued holding his hand as we danced with the large group of relatives and friends.
____________
Last chapter of season one!!! What did you think? Anything you want to see in the next season? Let me know!!